Maureen O'Hara

Maureen O'Hara

Born Maureen FitzSimmons in Ranelagh, a suburb of Dublin, on August 17, 1920, she was one of six children born to Charles Stewart Parnell FitzSimmons (one of the owners of the Shamrock Rovers football club) and opera singer Marguerita Lilburn; three of her siblings, brothers James and Charles and sister Margot, would also become actors. O'Hara wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps, and thus, was accepted into Dublin's prestigious Abbey Theatre at the age of 14. Stage roles and appearances on Irish radio soon followed. At age 18, she traveled to London for bit parts in two films, "Kicking the Moon Around" and "My Irish Molly" (both 1938). While in London, she was offered a screen test, which came to the attention of acclaimed actor-producer-director Charles Laughton, who was casting for roles in "Jamaica Inn" (1939), a new period drama he was making with Alfred Hitchcock. Laughton became convinced of O'Hara's screen presence after watching her test, and offered her a seven-year contract with his production company, Mayflower Pictures. He also suggested she change her surname to the more marquee-friendly "O'Hara." Their first collaboration would be "Jamaica Inn," an adaptation of the Daphne du Marier story of a young orphan (O'Hara) who discovers that her uncle is the leader of a gang of pirates. Its success led to "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1939), with Laughton as Quasimodo and O'Hara as Esmeralda, the fiery gypsy he loves. Her performance would soon establish her screen persona as a fiercely independent woman who could hold her own with any man.

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